2020 Ethylene – What to expect?

As the new year is about to unfold, I wanted to share my thoughts on current state of our industry and how best to prepare for the future.
Summarizing the big picture:

• Integrated margins for olefins-polyolefins are declining and expected to stay low
• Capacity additions, in near term, exceed the demand growth
  • Lower global capacity utilization
• Slowing global economic growth
• Oil/refining majors investing in integrated mega-projects changing competitive landscape
• Chemical companies, in general, are shifting focus to capital discipline
• Plastic recycling picking up momentum for both mechanical and chemical recycling
  • Significant investment for developing new technologies
  • Breaking down plastic waste to pyrolysis oil or monomer
• Companies are preparing and positioning for reduction in carbon footprint

These issues will impact the industry and the individual players in significant ways. How you prepare for these issues will determine the future success.
No matter whether you are an oil/refining major or a chemical company, capital discipline and capital efficiency always help positioning for success in a competitive and cyclical business environment.
Whether you are trying to improve an existing operation or building a new facility, there are many areas that require attention:

• When identifying opportunities and setting the direction
• During implementation, to effectively turn the goals and objectives into the reality
• Knowing the full capability of the facility (existing as well as new)
• Utilizing the assets effectively, efficiently and reliably

The options can be technically complex with varying risk profile and deploying the process technologies effectively can be challenging. This requires a great deal of expertise, experience, industry insights and knowledge.
At Apex PetroConsultants, we provide independent expert advise and impartial analysis to help clients realize their full potential. Our clients, whether they have in-house expertise or not, have benefited from the independent reviews and input.

Greetings of the season and best wishes for the new year to you and your loved ones!